Traces of Fear
by DataIntegrationThoughtEntity
Summary: A familiar face returns to seek revenge against the Guardians, and as a result forces each of them to thoroughly explore every corner of their hearts in order to seek the answer to the ultimate question: What is good and what is evil? Rated T for Safety
1. Prologue

**Author's Notes: **Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Alright! LOL, I'm finally posting this thing that has been driving me mad. LOL, I've had a lot of ideas for this fic, and they kept me awake at night… that explains the insomnia… but really, I've got this fic pretty much planned out, LOL. I'm just so happy I'm finally posting it! And unlike my other fics, I doubt I'll get writer's block with this:P

**Disclaimer: **I don't own W.I.T.C.H., blah, blah, blah. If I did, I'd probably be rich and famous, and I'm neither of the two. Don't know if I wanna be either. Rich people get robbed, and famous people get mobbed. LOL.

My eyes opened with a start. I looked up and saw absolutely nothing. Confused, I turned my head. Then the pull of gravity reminded me of my fate. I was falling. Everything just came back to me. My overthrowing at Meridian, the Tower of Mists, posing as Endarno, becoming Oracle of Candracar, ordering my sister captured, getting found out by the Guardians, Cedric's betrayal… and my decision.

Condemning myself to falling for an eternity by leaping out of one of Candracar's windows. Do I regret my decision? No. Compared to the alternative, this was nothing. I couldn't let myself get captured by the Guardians again; it would've just been too humiliating. At least this way, I was free. I was free from the world, free from everything.

I don't know how long I've been falling, I haven't bothered to count. What would the point of counting have been? I'd fall, and that's all that'll ever happen to me for the rest of time.

How was this any different from death? I was separated from time and space, unreachable to anyone. But not anything. I was constantly haunted by emotions, regrets, and memories. There is nothing left to do but regret.

My life was wrecked the moment I felt a lust for power. The moment I took over the city of Meridian, I renounced my compassion, my humanity. As soon as I had taken that path, it was too late to turn back. And I didn't want to turn back. Who could resist having an entire planet at their mercy without consequences? But I was wrong. There were consequences for my actions, and they came in the form of five young women.

The Guardians. When they first appeared, I took them as nothing more than a small obstacle in my path to universal greatness. My confidence was false. But as the war on Meridian raged on, I began having doubts. Doubts about whether or not I would win. Doubts about the extent of my power. But what could I do? I couldn't give myself in. I couldn't do anything but send my troops into battle and hope they would win.

They didn't win. And Cedric and I were captured and placed into the Tower of Mists. It was a dreadful place. As much as I hate to admit it, I actually enjoyed Endarno's infrequent visits. They kept me sane from lack of company. I particularly enjoyed the one where I manage to switch bodies with him. I was overjoyed, and then my delusions of grandeur became bigger than ever before. I figured, why settle for Meridian when I could take Candracar itself? Yes, in Endarno's body, no one would suspect a thing.

Ha, needless to say, I was wrong yet again. Come to think of it, ever since the Guardians came into the picture, everything went wrong for me. Especially that redhead, Will. Everything went wrong.

But the first glimmer of hope in a long time appeared for me when a dark vortex began to form below me, tearing me from my reflection on the Guardians and my life.

_Phobos…_

That voice… it seemed to originate from the vortex. I replied, "Yes?" The sound of my own voice surprised me; it had been so long since I had spoken.

_Do you want your revenge?_

I began to think I was hallucinating, that I was imagining stuff. It was a logical explanation, and I had a perfectly valid reason to go mad. But, nevertheless, I answered the vortex. "Yes, I do…"

_Good, Phobos, that's very good…_

Before I could respond, the forces of gravity had made me fall into the vortex and I was consumed by the dark energy.

**Author's Notes: **Diiiiid yooou like it? I sure liked it, LOL. Then again, I wrote it, and I don't normally post things I don't like, unless I've got nothing better. Okay, so a few things I've posted in the past are really lame()… but I always seem to find people who like them, LOL. So… the main context for this fic is actually kinda unoriginal, but then again, the immense world of fiction is a thoroughly exploited area, LOL. You guys think I left off at a cliffhanger? Hmm… I really like cliffhangers… and even when I don't really intend to, it always ends up as a cliffie, LOL. I made a lot of readers mad like that. So, guys, on a last note: review!


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: **Aww… I think this chappie is lame. Oh, well. Read it anyways, k?

**Disclaimer: **I don't own W.I.T.C.H. The story, I do own. The title and the summary… not really. Well, kinda… somewhat… sorta?

**Credits: **Eh… Sokai wrote the title and summary for me. Well… the original title and summary, I wrote, but it sucked real badly, LOL. So Sokai tweaked it up for me. :)

Will Vandom sighed absently.

She was at some sort of lecture about animal abuse and how pollution was affecting them, yet she just couldn't seem to pay any attention to the short man talking. Will had scolded herself numerous times, asking herself to pay attention, but she just couldn't.

It wasn't like her at all. Will still loved animals, after all those years, and still had a soft spot for a certain amphibian. Hey, she was the one who begged the short conservationist to come all the way to Heatherfield and alert them about pollution and all that, yet she was the one spacing out.

"Ms. Vandom?"

_Hum, that voice sounded a lot like Taranee's. Wonder what she's doing right now…_

"Um… hello?"

Twirling her hair absently, she smiled at the cloud in the sky. _Hum… that cloud looks a lot like… Phobos. What a weird coincidence. _

"Um…"

_I wonder how Cornelia's doing at the camp she's working at. _The redhead smirked. _Who knew Cornelia Hale made such a good camp councilor? _

She was startled to hear another voice in her head. _Hey there, Will. Care to lend me your attention for a few minutes?_

"Will!"

Will blinked. "Wha-? Did someone say something?"

She found Taranee peering at her queerly. "You sure you're okay, Will? I've been standing here for a good couple of seconds, and you didn't even notice me until I…" At this point she lowered her voice due to the large amount of people around. "… contacted you via telepathy."

Will blushed. "Oh… sorry, Taranee. I guess I spaced out…"

Taranee cocked her head. "Uh, well, you do know Mr. Garth, our conservationist, has finished and that everyone is waiting for you to go on stage and conclude, don't you?"

"What!"

Taranee nodded, her face reflecting sympathy and… a hint of amusement detected by Will.

Turning her head, she noted that everyone was staring at her oddly. "Ah, yes… sorry to keep you, uh, waiting." she stuttered.

Walking onto the stage with her face matching her hair and stumbling over the steps, she smiled weakly. "Uh, well, I'd like to thank Mr. Garth, our conservationist, for taking the time to come and, uh, deliver such an amazing… uh, speech!"

"You weren't even listening!" came a random voice from the crowd.

Will bit her lip. "Uh… anyhow, I hope you all take into account the, uh, speech and its importance."

"No, really, you weren't listening!" Again the random voice. But this time Will recognized it. _Oh… it's him._

She sighed.Uriah Dunn. He really had nothing better to do, did he? No one cared about him anymore. Even Kurt and Laurent left and found jobs working at some auto-repair shop. But Uriah was still unemployable. Not that he even wanted a job in the first place.

"Yes… well, uh…. see you later."

&&&

"See you later?"

Will frowned at Irma's incredulous voice when it came through her cellular.

The brunette kept talking. "Did you really say that? To half the population of Heatherfield?"

The redhead rolled her eyes. "Yeah…"

She could imagine Irma just trying to keep from laughing. "B-but why? Didn't you have some sort of speech prepared?"

"Um… yeah, but I… kind of forgot it."

"Kind of? How?"

"I don't know." she defended herself. "Well… there was this cloud in the sky that kind of looked like Phobos…"

She heard her friend sighing from the other end of the phone. "Relax, Will. It was just a cloud. And I thought Hay Hey had an overactive imagination. But really, didn't you spend, like, forever writing that speech?"

"Hum… Anyways, where are you?" she asked in an attempt to change the subject.

"Oh, I was just shopping for a new tank to put Leafy in. Headed to the apartment now. If we're lucky, Hay Hey hasn't burned it down yet. Oh, wait, she'd be more likely to summon a tornado." came the sarcastic reply.

Will raised an eyebrow. "O-kay… what happened to Leafy's tank and what did Hay Lin do?"

Sarcastic laughter on the other end of the phone. "Ever since her parents went on vacation without her and she was left in charge of the Silver Dragon, she's been pretty frantic. Add that to the fact that the deadline for the comic strips she's been working on for extra cash is tomorrow and… well, the point is; she's busy."

"I see… but what does that have to do with Leafy?"

"Patience, Will, I was getting to that." replied her friend matter-of-factly. "Anyways, this morning, after you left to attend the weird speech thingamajig you messed up, Hay Lin came running out of her room screaming something about being late and her alarm clock not ringing. Then, a few minutes later, she was blabbering about keys. Turns out she had misplaced the keys to the Silver Dragon."

"What!" Will couldn't help but say.

"Will! Don't interrupt! So we searched the entire apartment. She finally found them in my room, surprisingly - no, I didn't steal them, she had left them there – on the table where Leafy was resting happily. She squealed really loudly and pounced on the table before I realized what was happening. Yes, she pounced, Will. _Pounced_."

Will blinked and nodded even though Irma couldn't see her.

"Poor Leafy found himself flying through the air. Fortunately, Hay Hey had the reflexes to levitate the poor turtle. Somehow, she got the turtle and not the tank, which fell with a satisfying smash. Leafy was traumatized. And Hay Hey was all like, 'Ohmigosh, what have I done?' and I was like, 'Leafy!'."

The redhead blinked. "Oh… how's Leafy now?" she asked.

"I don't know. It's not like I took him with me so he could pick out his new tank himself."

Will nodded. "Uh-huh… well, I'll be going now."

"Bye."

Will turned off her cell with the push of a button. According to her, ever since Cornelia left for her summer job, Irma's attitude started becoming increasingly like Cornelia's. Or, as Irma called her, Corny. It wasn't exactly a pleasant change…

The redhead then mentally kicked herself while placing the cellular in her pocket. _It sounds like I'm saying Cornelia isn't pleasant…_ _Well, she **can** get annoying sometimes…but she-_

Will Vandom, Keeper of the Heart of Candracar, continued walking along the sidewalk, musing silently about Cornelia, Leafy, and the weird cloud.

&&&

"Ah… where'd I put my keys?"'

Will reached into her left pocket. "Nope, not there… Ah, here they are!" Her hand retreated from her pocket holding a set of silver keys.

Smirking, she stuck the keys into the doorknob, and turned. Didn't work. Frowning, she turned the keys the other way. The doorknob clicked and she was granted access. She pushed the door open, and what she saw was immensely confusing.

There was stuff **everywhere, **the apartment was a mess. Hay Lin was digging for something under the leather couch, and Irma was yelling something at her.

"Um… what's going on here?" she dared to ask.

The Water Guardian answered her, and boy was she angry. "Hay Lin let Leafy escape and now I've lost him!"

Wow, Irma sure was attached to that turtle. "Okay… And I assume you've turned the whole place upside down in the search for your beloved turtle?" she asked needlessly.

"Yes!"

Hay Lin's head poked out from under the couch. "He's not under here, Irma."

"Well, then look somewhere else! I've got to find Leafy!"

Hay Lin looked like she was about to protest for a moment, then got to her feet and headed to her room, presumably to look for the turtle escapee. On her way there, she whispered something in Will's ear. "She's in a really bad mood today…"

"Uh-huh. But you can't really blame her, first you break the tank, then you lose the turtle." replied Will, before retreating to her room, mostly to escape the wild wrath of Irma Lair, but also to go place a phone call, and leaving Hay Lin feeling somewhat guilty.

Slumping down in her comfy frog-themed chair, she reached for her silver and blue cell and turned it on. Dialing a number quickly, she placed the phone near her ear and waited.

It rung.

And rung again.

And once more.

'_Hello, this is Matt Olsen, and you've successfully reached my voicemail. I can't answer right now, so leave a message.'_

She shook her head. Matt had Caller ID, so he knew exactly who was calling him. She didn't want to admit it, but there was always the possibility Matt wasn't answering on purpose. He seemed to be avoiding her… or maybe she was just being paranoid. Sighing, she switched off the phone instead of leaving a message. What would've been the point?

"Leafy's not in here either!" Hay Lin's voice rang along the hallway.

"Well, search somewhere else!"

Will blinked, and called out to her friends from her room. "He's a **turtle**, he couldn't have gone that far!"

Hay Lin answered her. "He's got to be somewhere in this apartment! Oh, no, what if he fell out the window?"

The redhead blinked. "Hay Lin… how could a **turtle **jump out a** window**?"

"You never know!"

Will heard Irma's footsteps as she joined Hay Lin in her room. "Leafy better not have jumped out the window!"

The redhead sat upright in her comfy chair. "It's a turtle! Turtles can't jump!"

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure! What kind of turtle is Leafy anyways?"

Silence.

"Uh… that's a good question, Will…"

The redhead completely forgot about Matt and opened the door. Poking her head into the hallway, she spotted both Irma and Hay Lin standing in a room, door open. "You mean you never bothered to find out?"

"Uh… yes?"

She shook her head in exasperation. "Alright, but I'm sure your turtle is still somewhere in this building. Calm down."

Irma nodded. "Yeah…" she muttered, unconvinced. What she didn't know was that Leafy wasn't in the building at all.

**Author's Notes: **LOL, there you go. I absolutely _hate_ the way I ended it but… I just couldn't find anything better, you know? LOL, review anyways!


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes: **Hi. How ya guys all doing? Meh… though it was about time to update… yeah. Oh, and… how do you people feel about… let's say… OCs?

**Disclaimer: **Yay, my fav part of the fic! The disclaimer! (sarcasm, you all know I hate these things. even though they're required by law) Right. Anyhow, don't own W.I.T.C.H., but as far as my two OCs are concerned, I do own, so … yeah.

Phobos couldn't believe it as he stared at his hands. He was on solid ground again, free from the clutches of endless eternity. After marveling for a long while, he had decided to get to the first order of business: revenge.

Phobos, former prince of Meridian, once an Oracle, and now revenge obsessed manic. He laughed inwardly. He liked the sound of that. He'd like it even better if he became a revenge obsessed manic who succeeded.

His eyes darted around him. He was apparently in some sort of old, abandoned cathedral.

_Phobos…_

The villain spun around, but didn't see anyone. But then, a dark spiral of energy began to form around him, slowly starting at his feet and rising up to his head, clawing at his face. Phobos's eyes widened and his breathing quickened, as did the beating of his heart. He was scared, an emotion very rare for him, but no sound would pass his lips.

_Phobos…_

It was a crystalline voice, yet it still demanded authority. It was subduing, yet intimidating.

_Phobos… don't you remember me?_

The blond man tensed, his blue eyes quivering with fear. He tried to sound strong and impressive, but when he tried to speak his voice came out as barely a whisper. "T-to be honest… I have no idea who you are or what you want with me."

_That's quite a shame, Phobos… I'd thought you'd give more remembrance to the one who spared you an eternity of mental suffering._

Phobos looked lost, but then realization dawned upon him. "You!"

_Ah… yes… I was the one who freed you…_

"But… why?"

_All in due time, Phobos… Now… I sense a strong need for revenge in you…_

&&&

Balthazar frowned and eyed his opponents. He shifted his gaze back to his hand. _In the end, poker is a game of chance… something I have none of._

The man appeared to be in his mid-forties, with short grey hair and red eyes.

While waiting for his turn, he reached into his coat pocket with his right hand, while holding his cards with his left. There, in his pocket, he found his cigarette pack. He fiddled with it for a moment, and when his hand emerged from his pocket, it was holding between its index and its middle finger a single cigarette. He placed the tobacco roll between his lips.

One of the other poker players raised an eyebrow. "Uh, unfiltered cigarettes are really bad for your health, you know. If you want to live long enough to enjoy the money you win gambling, I recommend the filtered ones. And they taste just as good."

Balthazar shrugged. _Yeah, any mortal human would undoubtedly suffer from lung cancer or some other crappy disease smoking these, but not me._

He blinked, momentarily covering his blood-red eyes with his eyelids. Then, his hand retreated into his pocket once more. When it came back out this time it held a dark blue lighter. Pressing the button, a small jet of flame soon appeared. He brought it to his mouth and lit the cigarette before letting the flame die away.

The same poker player who commented on the cigarette addressed Balthazar. "So are you going to draw?"

Balthazar shrugged again. Then, he reached towards the card deck. He placed the first card on the deck in between his thumb and index. Balthazar drew the card towards him, with the card facing the table so that none of the other players could see it.

When he placed it in his hand and glanced at it, his first reaction was to frown. Then, he smirked. He smirked, not because he had a good card of anything, but to unnerve his opponents. And it was working.

He glanced to his right. _Damn, that little rat, Sylvain, has got a royal flush. Idiot shouldn't hold his cards like that: everyone can see his hand. _Indeed, all the other players were stealing nervous glances at Sylvain's cards. And the holder of the royal flush remained oblivious to it all.

Balthazar chuckled lightly. Then his attention shifted back to his own card. _Wow, what the hell is this? A stupid no-pair, that's what! Garbage, nothing, zero, zilch! _He creased his brow. _Hum, looks like I just lost myself 15 grand. Great. Ah… the money is just flying away from me…_

He puffed his cigarette, sighed, threw his cards down on the poker table, and placed his hands behind his head. "Well, I'm dead. This is nothing. And Sylvain's got a royal flush."

The short man named Sylvain blinked in surprise. "Hun? How'd you know that?"

Another man snorted and smoothed back his red hair. "We all knew, Sylvain. You might have quite a bit of luck in poker, but you've got to work on concealing your cards, idiot."

Sylvain pouted and was about to protest when Balthazar suddenly stood up.

The red-haired man raised an eyebrow. "Where are you going?"

Balthazar stuck his hands into the pockets of his long, black coat. "I've had enough. I'm leaving."

Another player sneered. "You're leaving? Why? Because you lost, bastard?"

Balthazar narrowed his eyes. Then, he just gave the gambler a cool glare before turning around and strolling away.

He walked at a normal pace. As he left the casino, he threw his half-finished cigarette into the garbage dispenser. And since the tobacco roll was still lit, he risked setting fire to the whole place. Not that he cared; it was none of his business.

He walked out the door and down the steps. Then, he reached the sidewalk, turned right, and continued walking. _Hum, nice going, B, you just blew a fortune on that stupid gambling game. Ah well, you'll make up for it. You are a bounty hunter and your next gig will score you at least ten times what you lost today. And you can be sure you're employer will pay up: he is a prince, after all. Or at least he will be after you're done._

&&&

The door opened with an annoying creak. "I've got to get that damn thing fixed." he muttered under his breath.

Setting foot into the small cottage near the edge of the forest, Balthazar noted that the lights were already on. _Great, so he's home, _he concluded.

Placing his rough hands on his sides, he sighed. The walls were painted an extremely light green. A cracked window was placed near a bookshelf. Balthazar had broken the window in one of his rare but dangerous alcoholic rages, and due to the strong winds, Rowan patched up the window with wooden boards. Looking up, the bounty hunter noted that the single light bulb in the room was growing dim. _Ah… great. My life is perfect._

There were footsteps coming down the stairs. Without moments, Balthazar found a young man with hard hazel eyes and a grim smile standing before him. Crossing his arms over a forest green shirt with a picture of a skull with creased brows on it, the young man glared.

The hunter sighed. "I know you're dying to say something, so go ahead and say it, Kio."

The man apparently known as Kio nodded. "Fine." Uncrossing his arms and letting them drop to his sides, he asked, "Where have you been?"

"In town."

"Doing what exactly?"

Balthazar scowled. "None of your business, boy." _Why does he care so much?_

"Oh, yes, it is my business. Besides, you were the one who prompted me to ask." Facing the hunter's silence, Kio drew his own conclusions and groaned. "How much money did you blow this time?"

Balthazar sighed, not wanting to reveal the answer. "Kio-"

"Answer me." demanded Kio.

"15."

"Hun?"

"15…"

Then realization struck Kio. "15… as in, $15,000?"

Balthazar's silence answered him.

"Dad… how the hell are we supposed to live if you keep losing everything!"

Rhetorical question. Figures. _Damn brat keeps messing with me…_

Balthazar's red eyes hardened. "Look, if it makes you feel any better, I've got a customer."

Kio's eyebrows rose in interest and, slumping down on the sofa while keeping his gaze on his father, he asked his to give him the details. "Hey, wait, it isn't anything stupid like cornering a defenseless mortal in an alley or something, is it?"

Balthazar took out his cigarette and lighter again. Placing the cigarette in his mouth and fiddling with the lighter, he answered his son. "Mortal, yes, I believe so. Defenseless… well… I wouldn't be so confident."

Kio's face broke out in a large smile. "So… who exactly, pops?"

Balthazar stared dully. He hated that. "Don't you dare call me that again, Akakio." He puffed the cigarette.

Rowan blinked. "What is with you and those little druggie sticks? And quit calling me Akakio, that's so not cool." he said.

Ignoring the second question and instead choosing to answer the first less annoying question, he declared, "Five young women, Kio."

Kio took this as an opportunity to tease his father, much to the latter's frustration. "Wow, five young women got you hooked to ciggies? Tsk, tsk, dad…"

"Shut up, boy."

Kio shrugged. "Okay, okay, you're the boss."

Balthazar nodded. "Right."

Kio's face fell. "Yeah… so… five young women, right?"

The hunter scowled. "Yeah, you're learning fast." he declared sarcastically.

"Whatever. So… this just a normal gig or… is it… somewhat supernatural?"

"Supernatural?" Balthazar cocked an eyebrow. "Weird word. I don't like it. Mortals use that word to describe things they're far too stupid to comprehend."

"You know what I mean."

"Fine. In lack of a batter term, yeah, it's 'supernatural'."

Kio laughed. "Oh, yeah! Who's the client, pops?"

Balthazar growled warningly. "I told you not to call me that..."

"Whatever."

"Hump. The client… his name is Phobos."

Kio blinked. Then he blinked again. "No. Freaking. Way."

Balthazar nodded. "You better believe it, boy, cause it's true."

"Ooh, ooh, the same Phobos who ruled Meridian for more than a decade?"

An affirmative grunt.

"But I thought the Guardians defeated him, pops."

"Oh, wow, you do know alot!"

"Yeah, yeah. Now answer me."

"Well, you are correct, the Guardians did in fact defeat him… but he's back. And he hired us."

"Ah…"

"To kill the Guardians."

"Ah…"

"Whom, as you well know, are five young women living in Heatherfield."

"Ah…"

Balthazar spat out his cigarette. "Ah? Is that all you can say, boy?"

"Hun? Um… not really…"

"Right. I'll have you know Phobos wants them alive, though. Or half-alive. That works too."

Kio nodded. "Yeah? Hum…" This was going to be fun…

**Author's Notes: **Uh-oh. Don't hurt me! Uh, well, don't hurt me mentally/emotionally, that is, since you can't hurt me physically… unless you start stalking me… ack. No flames, hun? I hated the conv. between Kio and Balthazar. Oh, and concerning Kio's name, I just… I couldn't find anything better, after a half an hour on the internet. Bah. But Akakio sounded funny in the English language, so I shortened it to Kio, ya know? Don't hurt me…

Oh, and about the part at the casino or whatever... hey, don't look at me like that, I'm not even old enough to get into one of those things. Anyhow, I did some reserch on poker and how it's played, and guess what? Being the idiot that I am, I barely understood ANY of the rules. Yipee... Don't flame, even though this is my least favorite chapter I've ever posted on well, there was this Naruto cross-over which I recommend you DON'T read, but other than that, this is the worst. Or maybe the Redwall fanfic I haven't touched for an eternity is... anyways, this chappie is one of the worst, LOL.


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes: **Okay… crummy chapter here. Was rereading it, and I was all like, 'WTF? Did I really write that? Man, this really does suck…' which is the main reason this fic was not updated earlier. But, on the other hand, the delay has become a bit **too** long, so I'm updating now. Whoot.

**Disclaimer:** Don't own W.I.T.C.H., peeps. I'd think you'd get that by now… but you can never be too careful with lawsuits…

Irma Lair was in a foul mood. Leafy had been missing for two days now. She was now certain the turtle wasn't in the apartment anymore. No doubt about it. They had torn the place apart looking for him, and he was definitely not there. She chuckled softly. Cornelia would have killed her for taking apart her room in search of a runaway turtle while she was gone. But Corny didn't have to know, now did she?

Slumping down on the couch, she reached for the remote, and began flipping through channels. She didn't really want to watch television, just turn it on and press the little blue square-shaped button.

"Some documentary 'bout flowers, the news, some boring old sitcom… wait, I can't believe they're still airing that, people talking, someone at gunpoint…. hey, I've already seen this movie, airplanes, and-"

"Hey there. What're you watching?"

Irma continued flipping. "Oh, it's you."

Hay Lin frowned. "Um… look, I'm really sorry about Leafy. I really am doing all I can…"

The Water Guardian sighed and switched off the television. Turning towards Hay Lin, she managed a small smile. "Yeah, I know. Accidents happen. It's just that Leafy…"

"I know, I know. Well, don't give up hope, Irma, we'll find him."

"Hum, yeah."

"So what're you watching?" she asked again.

"I dunno." she replied, shrugging casually and still flipping.

"Oh… well, there's this show playing that I watch every week. Care to flip to that channel?" asked Hay Lin perkily, slumping down on the couch next to Irma.

"Uh… sure, which one?"

"14." she answered, happy to acknowledge that Irma wasn't so mad anymore.

"O-kay… if you say so…"

She switched the channel and the television suddenly started getting fuzzy images. Then the audio became distorted and a couple of seconds later the television turned itself off.

Both girls stared at the television for a moment and Hay Lin was the first one to react. "What did you do, Irma?" she asked slowly, obviously accusing the brunette.

"Nothing, I swear! Hey, why don't we get Will to come and fix it up for us?" she suggested.

"Yeah, sure, why not?" replied the Guardian of Air, with a smirk on her face.

Irma walked across the carpet to Will's door, and opened it without knocking first.

The redhead was seated on her chair, staring at her cellular and her head bounced up, her hands nearly dropping the phone(which really wouldn't have been a good idea, because then her phone would've just started screaming at her). She stared at Irma, surprised, when she came in. She obviously wasn't expecting someone to barge into her room like that.

"Er... Hi Will, talking to your cell again? While you're at it, you wouldn't mind fixing the TV, would you?" asked Irma awkwardly.

"Hun? Oh, sure." Will got off her chair and walked out the room.

As she walked past Irma, the Water Guardian frowned. Will was becoming more distant-minded these days, as if something was bugging her. She was always daydreaming and spacing out. Irma wanted to ask her what was wrong, but she knew that Will would tell her if she wanted to. Of course, it still bothered her.

She followed Will to the living room, and watched as she sat down in front of and inquired the television.

"Hey there. Um… you wouldn't mind turning on again, would you?"

The television answered in an electronic voice… filled with fright, that is. "Ahh! Don't hurt me! No! No! Keep away! I'm just a TV, don't hurt me! Ahhh!"

Will jumped back, startled, away from the television screaming in agony. "Whoa, calm down!"

The television did not calm down. "NOOOO! NOOOO! I'm innocent! Innocent, I tell you! NOOOO!"

"What? What's the problem?" Will was worried now.

"Phobos…" the television whimpered, before completely dying down.

"Hello? Hello?"

The television didn't answer.

Hay Lin blinked. "Okay… uh, that was weird…"

Will shook her head. "No, did you hear what the TV said?" she asked in a shaky voice.

"No…" answered Irma slowly, not sure what she was getting at.

"Well, I'm pretty sure it said 'Phobos'."

Irma blinked. "Hun? What the-? Okay, before you were seeing Phobos in the sky, now you're hearing his name from dying TVs! He's gone, Will! We got rid off him for good! Besides, even if it was him, why show up now, a few years after he jumped out of one of Candracar's windows?"

"I don't know, but that's what the TV said." replied Will quietly, still gazing dazedly at the broken television.

Irma blinked. Then she turned to Hay Lin. "Did you hear anything?" she whispered to her friend.

"No…" Hay Lin whispered back uncertainly. "But if that's what Will heard, then I'm going to take her word for it."

"Okay… so what do we do now?"

Will turned towards her friends. "Well, that's an easy question. We'll alert Taranee, and someone's got to call Cornelia."

&&&

Kio quickly stuffed his feet into his old, overused, grey shoes. Humming a light tune to himself, he opened the door. He was hoping to go outside for a walk, considering there was nothing else to do, and his dad had locked himself in the basement, like he always did.

He stepped outside and…

Right into a puddle of water.

_Hun? But it hasn't rained for a week. Great, my socks are wet._ Looking down at his feet, he saw a small thing roughly the size of his hand. After blinking a few times and removing his sunglasses, he determined that it was, in fact, a turtle.

"Ah… a turtle waiting right outside my door." he laughed.

Kneeling down, he grinned at the turtle. "What's the matter, little dude, couldn't reach the doorbell?" he joked. Kio reached towards it with his right hand, and withdrew it almost instantly.

"Ow! Little critter bit me!"

He raised his finger to eye-level. The turtle was still holding on, his jaws tightly attached to Kio's index. After a while, the turtle got tired and let go of the finger, thus falling on his back.

Kio snarled and rubbed his finger. Then he glared at the turtle. "Happy, now? That hurt!" But then his gaze softened as he observed the upside-down turtle flail around with his flippers in a somewhat pathetic attempt to stand upright again. Kio sighed and picked up the turtle in his hands. "No more biting, okay? Now… I suppose you'd want to go home again. I can't bring you inside the house and keep you, my dad wouldn't allow it. Eh? Come on… let's find you a place where you'd be happy."

Kio was going to go for a walk anyways, so he brought the turtle with him. As he was walking, he kept talking to the turtle for some reason. They eventually found a pond where Kio judged a great place for the little turtle. "There now, you stay here." Turning around, he left the turtle and headed home.

But one thing kept bugging him. _A single puddle of water with a turtle in it… how queer is that?_

&&&

_No way, you've got to be wrong._

_Sorry, Corny, but that's what Will said. I'm just relaying the message._

_Huh? So now you're calling me Corny as well? I thought it was only Irma…_

_Eh… sorry. But Will wants you back here as soon as possible._

_She needn't wait too long. The camp is closing in another week._

_Um, I don't think Will wants to wait another week._

_Yeah, yeah. But why in the world should I leave just because the television said something about Phobos? I never liked that TV. It was evil._

… _Evil? You thought the TV was evil?_

_Whatever. Why did you have to use telepathy anyways?_

_Don't you remember? You're somewhere on top of a mountain, the cellular signal won't reach you._

_Oh…_ Cornelia could almost see Taranee roll her eyes, and she felt her leave her head. When she turned around, she saw a nine-year-old look at her funny.

"What?"

"I can't open my juice box." replied the nine-year-old, holding out a box of orange juice to the Earth Guardian.

"What?" she asked again, this time more out of astonishment.

"I said-" repeated the kid.

"I know what you said!" replied Cornelia, irritated.

The kid frowned. "You better be nice to me or I'm telling on you."

Cornelia sighed. She took the juice box, and poked the straw through the little hole before handing it back to the kid. "Here. And sorry I snapped at you. What was your name again?"

"I'm not telling you." The kid then turned around and walked away sipping the juice and leaving Cornelia somewhat confused.

She groaned. Why was she here again? Oh, right. Because her parents thought she should be responsible and get a job. And there you have it. Cornelia Hale, counselor at a summer camp. Oh, she loved the stream running not so far from the dormitory that connected to the lake. She loved the cool breeze and fresh air that wasn't available in the city. She loved the animals that scurried in between the tall trees and bushes. She felt completely connected to her element.

But the kids, she didn't like as much. Okay, so the majority were nice and obedient, but there was always that small percentage that thought annoying her was fun.

And there was also the fact that she was, in fact, somewhat homesick.

Yeah, spending her whole summer here wasn't really easy. She missed Heatherfield. She wanted to run back home, slump down on her bed, and sleep. As simple as that.

She smiled and told herself to look on the bright side. Just one more week. Seven lousy days. That was all. She sighed and rolled her eyes. Whatever. That was still a lot of time, if you really think about it.

Someone tapped her shoulder. Oh, wow, it was that kid again. Figured.

"Yes?" she asked wearily, and rolling her eyes slightly.

"What's **your** name?"

"Um… I'm your counselor, and I'm in charge of you." she stated.

"I already knew that."

"Uh-hun, well, my name is…" She glanced down at her name tag. All the counselors had to go by nicknames, and apparently, hers was…

"Teddy." Oh, that sounded stupid. The names were picked out of the hat, and she just **had **to get Teddy.

The kid laughed. "No, silly, if I had wanted to know that, I would have just read the name tag. I can read, you know. I wanted to know your real name."

She stared for a while, then simply shrugged. "Oh, why not. You want to know my name, and I don't want to be called 'Teddy'. So, my name is…" she didn't know what got to her, but she suddenly felt like something just wasn't right.

The kid was smiling far more than would be normal. He seemed eager about something. And she could also feel it. The soft sensation of magic. It was reacting to something, but she just didn't know what. She hesitated. Something was definitely wrong.

"Cornelia." she whispered her name softly.

The kid grinned, displaying two rows of teeth. Then he sprinted away from her and ran deeper into the forest.

"Wait!" Cornelia called after him. She turned to run after him, then stopped.

Now there was a dilemma. If she ran after him, she'd get fired for leaving the other kids alone. If she didn't go after him, she'd get fired anyways. Joy. Things always went perfectly.

**Author's Notes: **Told ya it sucked. (shrugs) Whatever. Just… deal with it, okay? Hmm. My writing time is being cut short… I never knew it was possible to give so much homework… bah. My teachers are ganging up on me. Plus I want to finish a few sketches, so I don't have all that much time to write. Not to mention the total lack of inspiration. But just never mind. Can't do anything about it.


End file.
